In furtherance with this topic that was started yesterday, we shall be looking into account of some personalities who encountered God personally in their lives. When God was to commission Moses to champion the cause of delivering the Israelites from the land of bondage in Egypt, he encountered God through the burning bush. He saw a bush burned with fire and the bush was not consumed, when out of curiosity he turned to see what was happening; God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, here am I. he saw and heard God out of the burning bush, the burning bush was the appearance of God in a form that is visible to man.
Gideon had been hiding from the Midianites in the threshing room, he wasn’t a warrior. But God commissioned him to smite the Midianites as one man; the angel described him as a mighty man of valor. “The angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, the lord is with you, o mighty man of valor” (Judge 6: 12). He responded to the angel,” if God is with us, then why are all these befalling us? The Lord says, he will use him to defeat the Midianites.
The account in the book of Acts 22: 1 – 21 tells us about Saul before his conversion to Paul; he gained a reputation as the ringleader of the movement to make Christianity extinct. He sought the arrest, trial, conviction, and punishment and possibly death of Christians in Jerusalem. After the killing of Stephen, he wanted to rid the earth of Christianity and all its followers. Thus, he was on his way to Damascus where he sought to arrest Christians and to bring them to Jerusalem for punishment. James and Peter were imprisoned and are awaiting execution. As he was on his way to Damascus; a very bright light from heaven suddenly flashed around him.
Then he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, ’Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? Saul was struck blind by the brightness of the light from heaven, after he regained his sight; he became converted, got baptized, his name was changed from Saul to Paul. He became the most determined of the apostles. He became spiritually transformed and suffered brutal physical pain, persecution and finally, martyrdom. He endured a lifetime of hardship for the gospel.
Prayer:
Oh Lord, find me and use me to your glory. Reveal to me my life assignment for the advancement of your kingdom.
(revmrspatienceudenyi@hopealivechurch)